Matthew 4:10
“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Context
In the third temptation, the devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and offers them in exchange for worship. Jesus answers by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, then commands Satan to depart.
What Does Matthew 4:10 Mean?
Jesus dismisses the devil outright because worship and service belong to God alone, and nothing -- not even the kingdoms of the world -- is worth bowing to anyone else. In the final temptation, the devil offers Jesus everything He came to redeem, on the single condition that He fall down and worship him. Jesus refuses without negotiation, commanding Satan to depart and anchoring His answer once more in Scripture.
This temptation strikes at the heart of allegiance. The offer is a shortcut -- glory without the cross -- but it would require Jesus to set someone else in the place that belongs to God. By quoting Deuteronomy, Jesus affirms the foundational truth that worship and service are due to the Lord and to Him only. The command is exclusive: there is no shared throne, no divided loyalty. Where the first two temptations probed His needs and His trust, this one tests the ultimate question of who is worthy of devotion. Jesus settles it decisively. For every reader, the same choice recurs in quieter forms whenever we are offered gain at the price of compromised loyalty. The path of true greatness is not seized by bowing to lesser powers; it is received by giving God the whole heart's worship. Jesus shows the way, and Satan leaves Him.
In the Original Language
Jesus pairs two Greek verbs: proskyneo, "to worship" or bow down in homage, and latreuo, "to serve" in sacred devotion. Both, He insists, are owed to God alone.
Cross References
Application
When success is offered at the price of divided loyalty, follow Jesus in keeping your worship and service for God alone, refusing every lesser throne.